Rubber heel



Dec. 1 1 24 1,519,843

L. KAPLAN RUBBER HEEL Filed Jan. 22, 1924 Snow Roz:

LOLHS KAPLAN,

Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS KAPLAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RUBBER HEEL.

Application filed January 22, 1924. Serial No. 687,807.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LoUis KAPLAN, a citizen of United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber Heels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to rubber or cushion heels, and one object of the invention is the provision of such a heel having grooves or recesses in its tread surface whereby to equalize the wear between the two halves or side portions of the heel.

With the foregoing and other objects 1n view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the formation of the heel, as hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of one form of heel having the improvements.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the respec tive lines 22 and of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are bottom plan views of modifications.

The heel or other tread member to be ap plied to a shoe or other article of footwear is composed of the halves or portions 7 and 8 at the opposite sides of and united along the longitudinal median line of the heel.

,r The division line between the halves or porthe foot, whereby when standing with the heel flat on the surface, the portion 7 provides a firm although resilient support. The portion 7 provides for an effective cushioning action in walking, such portion 8 coming into contact with the surface first, and receiving the greatest pressure of impact. Also, by using the two different grades of rubber or other material, one comparatively soft and the other comparatively hard, the wearing properties of the heel are increased. Thus, on some surfaces the soft rubber portion 8 may tend to wear away more quickly, whereas the harder rubber portion 7 will re sist such wear, and on other surfaces the portion 7 may tend to wear away quicker while the portion 8 will resist such wear. In this way, wearing down of the heel is not so fast as with a heel composed of the same kind of material, and the wear is also distributed between the two portions 7 and 8. a

In some cases the heel is worn away quicker at the inner or arch side, in which event the heel may be applied with the softer portion 8 at the inner or arch side of the foot.

In order to equalize, as much as possible, the wear and resiliency between the portions 7 and 8, the tread surface of the heel is provided with U-shaped grooves or channels 9 which have their terminals extending f0rwardly and terminating adjacent to the forward end or breast of the heel, with one terminal of each groove ending in the portion 7 and the other terminal ending in the portion 8. Said grooves are arranged with their terminals disposed side by side in the respective portions 7 and 8, with the intermediate portions of the grooves crossing or intersecting one another near but spaced from the rear end of the heel.

The ends 10 of the grooves 9 in the portion 8 are narrow and shallow, and are spaced apart further than the ends or terminals 11 in the portion 7, and said terminals 11 are comparatively wide and deep. The grooves 9 decrease gradually in width and depth from the ends 11 to the ends 10, whereby the wearing qualities of the heel are gradually decreased from the ends 10 of the grooves 9 in the portion 8 to the ends 11 of the grooves in the portion 7, and, conversely, whereby the resilience afforded by the grooves decreases from the ends 11 to the ends 10 of said grooves. The deeper and wider portions-ofthe grooves will lend resilienceto the portion 7 as well as enabling said portion to wear away quicker, it being noted that the portion 8 has broad tread surfaces between the grooves 9 while the portion '7 has narrow tread surfaces between said grooves. In this way, the grooves render the portion 7 more resilient, although the material of said portion is comparatively hard, and the grooves also have a tendency to equalize the wear between the hard and softportions, so that the heel will have a tendency to wear down evenly or uniformly. The grooves may also assist in preventing slipping of the heel on wet or slippery surfaces, although same is secondary.

The nail holes 12 are disposed adjacent to the margin of the heel, for securing the heel tothe shoe or other article of foot Wear, and

those nails 12 at theopposite sides may be locatedin those arms of the grooves '9 adjacent to said sides of the heel.

The heel is further provided adjacent to its rear end, in rear of the grooves'9, with a groove or channel 13 in the tread surface, with its opposite terminals ending in the portions 7 and 8. The groove 13 is curved reversely to the curvature of the grooves 9,

' -with its terminals directed rearwardly, and

said groove 13 is tapered to correspond with the tapering of the grooves 9. The end 14 of the groove 13 in the portion 8 is narrow and shallow, while the terminal 15 of said groove is wide and deep. The groove 13 equalizes the wear and resiliency of the rear end portion of the heel. the wide and deep end of .the groove being at that side which wears away or runs down the slowest, in order that the heel will wear away substantially uniformly at opposite sides, as well as equalizing the resiliency.

Fig. i shows a simplified form, in which the heel 7" is of'one piece of rubber, and has a single groove 9 whose terminals 10 and 11 are disposed in the opposite side portions or halves of the heel. The groove 13 is simi- I lar to the groove 13, having the shallow and narrow end 14 and the wide and deep end 15", the end 14 being extended or curved back into hook form as shown. The grooves 9 and 13' are for the purpose of equalizing wear between the opposite'side portions or halves of the heel. inasmuch as the wider and deeper portions of the grooves are in that side'portion or half of the heel which usually wears away the slowest.

Fig. 5 shows the grooves 9 of the heel '7' extending nearly transversely of the heel with the terminals 10 and 11" curved rearwardly slightly, and the groove 13" is arranged with its wide and deep end 15" near the median line of the heel. The grooves 9 and 13" are tapered from the slower wearing half or portion of the heel to the side portion or half of the heel which usually wears away quicker, the same as in the other forms hereinbefore described.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 6483M, filed June 2 19.23.

Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed as new is 1.. A heel having grooves in its tread surface deeper and wider at one side'than at the other to equalize the wearing qualities of the opposite side portions.

2. A heel having grooves in its tread surface extending into the opposite side portions of the heel, the grooves increasing in size from one side portion to the other side portion to equalize the wear of said portions.

3. A heelhaving grooves in its tread surface with the terminals of the grooves ex tending into the opposite side portions of the heel, said grooves increasing in both width and'depth from the terminals in the quicker wearing side portion of the heel to the terminals in the slower wearing side portion.

4. A heel having a groove in its tread surface at the rear end of the heel with the terminals of the groove directed rearwardly, the end of the groove at the portion of the heel which runs down the quickest being small, and said groove increasing in size toward the other end.

5. A heel having a groove in its tread surface at the rear end of the heel with the terminals of the groove directed rearwardly, the end of the groove at the portion of the heel which runs down the quickest being small, and said groove increasing in both width and depth to the other end.

6. A heel composed of portions of relatively soft and hard resilient materials and having grooves in said portions tending to equalize the resilience of said portions.

7. A heel composed of portions of relatively hard and soft resilient materials and having grooves each extending into said portions, said grooves increasing in size from the soft to the hard portion so as to have a tendency to equalize the resilience of said portions. I

8. A heel composed of portions of relatively hard and soft resilient materials and having grooves in its tread surface each terminating in said portions, said grooves in creasing in width and depth from the terminals thereof in the soft portion to the terminals thereof in the hard portion.

9. A heel composed of portions at opposite sides of relatively hard and soft resilient maincreasing in width and depth from the terterials, and having U-shaped grooves in its minals in the soft portion to the terminals tread surface with the terminals of the in the hard portion. 10 grooves extending toward one end of the In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my heel and spaced apart, the opposite ends of Signature.

said grooves terminating in the hard and soft portions respectively, and said grooves LOUIS KAPLAN. 

